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Search Engines • Get Web Savvy
TABLE OF CONTENTS
WHAT IS THE INTERNET?
The Internet is a worldwide network of computers holding vast amounts of
data. Access to this information is channeled through high-speed
links provided by commercial organizations called service
providers. Once you have subscribed with and are connected
to a service provider via modem or cable, you can select the
software you want to use and start exploring the Net.
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WHAT IS THE WORLD WIDE WEB?
The World
Wide Web, often referred to as WWW, or the WEB, came about
in 1989 when scientists who were using the Internet decided
to make cross-references "clickable" with the use of the hyperlink.
This later evolved into the creation of Mosaic, the first
graphical user interface. Now the user could "point and click"
their way through the Web, with everything looking like a
page from a magazine, complete with type styles, color illustrations,
and links to other similar pages. The Web provides easy access
to pictures, video clips, sound, and text from various sites,
including governments, schools, libraries, organizations,
and businesses.
Hyperlinks
are pieces of text or pictures that lead to more information
when you click on it using your mouse. Hyperlinks are created
by using the computer language called Hyper Text Markup Language
- otherwise known as HTML. When you put the cursor on a hyperlink
the cursor arrow will turn into a pointing hand, letting you
know that this is a link. By clicking the left mouse button,
you can then follow the link to another site on the Web.
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HOW DO I USE THE WORLD WIDE WEB?
A browser
is a software program that allows you to view and navigate
the pages on the World Wide Web. Netscape Navigator and Internet
Explorer are the two most widely used browsers. These programs
are usually free when you sign up with your Internet service
provider. At the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District libraries,
you will use the Internet Explorer browser.
Most browser
screens include a menu bar, toolbar and address bar to help
you navigate the Web.
MENU BAR
File Menu:
New Opens a new window.
Open.This opens a text box where you can enter an Internet address
or URL (Uniform Resource Locator). Each page has its own unique
Internet address which must be typed in exactly as written,
including capitals and symbols, or your browser program may
not be able to find the page. An example of an Internet address
is http://www.lvccld.org (the Library District's URL).
Edit
with Windows Notepad. Depending on what software you have
installed on your computer, this menu choice may vary. On
the Library computers this says "Edit with Microsoft Frontpage",
allowing you to edit and create you own Web pages.
Save
As. Click on this to save to a floppy disk. First, click
on the page or frame you want to save, then click on Save
As. A text box will appear where you can give the file a name.
You can save as an HTML document, which usually requires a
web browser (such as Internet Explorer) to read it, or you
can save as a text only file, which can be opened in most
word processors.
Page
Setup. Paper margins can also be adjusted here. You can
also choose paper size and layout direction here. Please note
that in the library, only standard 81/2" x 11" paper is available.
Print.
Allows you to print out a single page, multiple pages, or
your highlighted selection from the Internet. When you click
on Print, a window will open where you can indicate what you
want to print. Inquire at the library Reference Desk about
any printing questions you have before making your printouts.
Send.
Opens your outlook e-mail account in the send message mode
with the current web page attached. This can not be done from
the library computers.
Close
and Exit. Clicking on Close will shut down your current
browser window,
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Edit
Menu:
Cut,
Copy, and Paste. Allows you to cut, copy, or paste
highlighted text and paste the selections into other Windows
programs.
Select
All. Allows you to highlight all the text on an Internet
page.
Find (on
This Page)... A text box opens that lets you locate a specific
term or phrase within an Internet page.
View
Menu:
 Toolbar
and Status Bar. Checking these options will allow these
menu bars to display
Fonts.
Allows you to increase or decrease the size of the text. Text
size will return to normal on library computers when Internet
Explorer is restarted.
Refresh.
Brings a fresh copy of the current Internet Explorer page from
local memory to replace the one originally loaded.
Stop.
Halts loading of the page.
Source.
Clicking on Source will take you to the HTML version of the
page you are on. Be sure to close Source when you are done by
clicking on the "X" in the upper right corner of the screen.
Favorites
Menu:
 Add
to Favorites... Allows you to add your favorite Web sites
to folders you create. This function has been omitted from
the library computers.
Organize
Favorites... When enabled, this allows you to place the
Web sites you have marked as your Favorites in folders where
you can easily access them for viewing on the Web at any time.
Tools
Menu:
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Mail and News. When enabled you can access commands for
Internet mail and News reader programs.
Internet Options... Lets you change the Internet settings. |
Help
Menu:
Contents
and Index. Here you can get help using Internet Explorer
three different ways. You can choose a subject under the "Contents"
menu. Under "Index" you can look at all the Help topics alphabetically.
You can also do a keyword search for your topic by choosing
"Search."
Tip of
the Day. Quick tips about using Internet Explorer automatically
display at the bottom of the Web page when you choose this option.
On-line
Support, Tour, & Send Feedback. All Connect to Microsoft
Network (MSN) Internet pages that offer on-line help and information
about using the Web and Internet Explorer.
About
Internet Explorer. Tells you what version of the browser
software you are using.
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TOOLBAR
Toolbar
Buttons:
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Clicking on these buttons allows you to move, one page at
a time, back and forth through pages you have already visited. |
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Clicking here will stop a page from loading. This is useful
if it is taking a long time for a page to load, and you want
to reload the page or move on to another site. |
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When you click here, the current page or frame loads again.
Reloading often corrects a problem if a page has not loaded
properly, or is taking a long time to load. |
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At the libraries, clicking on this button returns you to the
Las Vegas-Clark County Library District's home page. On any
other computer that is hooked up to the Internet, the home
page will be whatever the computer owner selects. A home page
is also the main page for each site on the World Wide Web.
Whoever writes the files for an Internet site expects a user
to go to the home page first. It acts as a table of contents
to attached pages within the site. |
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Clicking on this button will lead you to the Internet Explorer
search page. From here you can customize your search options. |
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Clicking on this button allows you to open the web sites you
saved, allowing you to keep a file of your favorite Web sites
electronically. Please note that this tool is not available
on the library computers. |
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Clicking here shows you a list of the web sites recently visited.
Note that this tool is not available on the library computers. |
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When you click on the mail button, your Microsoft Outlook
e-mail opens directly from Internet Explorer. This option
is omitted from the library computers. |
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Clicking on this button will allow you to print Internet page
displayed on your monitor. From the Library district computers
you made need to print from either this button, or from the
"print" option under the file menu. |
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This button opens Microsoft Word to edit a Web page. This
is not available to do on the library computers |
ADDRESS BAR
When you know the URL (Uniform Resource Locator, i.e. address)
for the Web site you want visit, you type it in the text box
of the address bar.
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BASIC GUIDES TO USING THE INTERNET
New
User Tutorial is for the brand new computer user. Starting
with use of the mouse, and ending with opening and closing
applications, this tutorial will give the novice a great start
on their Internet journey.
The Web Tutorial an interactive tutorial to teach you about the Internet. When you complete the tutorial take the "Web Challenge" which will test your new web skills.
Internet Beginner´s Guides and Tutorials. All kinds of tutorials for learning the Internet including a "Mouse" tutorial.
Basic Internet Lessons designed for Seniors to teach you everything you need to know about the Internet.
Bare Bones 101: A Basic Tutorial on Searching the Internet Gives you the “bare bones” in short lessons on a number of topics dealing with Internet searching.
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WHAT KINDS OF PROBLEMS MIGHT I RUN ACROSS?
Accessing
large files may take a long time. Graphics files, or pictures,
are often large, and video files are huge -- they may take
several minutes to load. If many other people are using the
Internet, connections will be a little slower. Some pages
will indicate the size or type (image, video, etc.) of a file
so that you know before you connect to it that it might take
some time to load.
Occasionally
you may encounter error messages that pop up in the middle
of the screen when you try to perform an action on the Internet.
Click on the Okay button to remove the message from your screen.
Internet Explorer will not allow you to do anything else until
you remove the message; press the ALT and the TAB keys at
the same time to see which windows are open.
Almost
all error messages are problems at the other end of the connection.
Other problems might be caused by the instability of the Internet
or browser software.
Some error
messages or problems you may encounter:
- The
computer freezes up - you get no response from the computer.
You will have to restart the browser program. Occasionally
your entire computer may lock up, in which case you will
have to go to the start menu on your desktop and restart
your computer.
- Connection
Timed Out is generally like a busy signal. It usually
means the site you were trying to reach had the maximum
number of users. The best thing to do is try again later.
- "The
page cannot be displayed screen" comes up when Internet
Explorer cannot connect to a site. This screen tells you
that the page you are looking for is currently unavailable.
You are then given directions on various things to check,
such as typing errors in the URL, browser settings, and
connection settings. If all these are correct, you are advised
that the site may be temporarily down and to try again later.
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HOW DO I EVALUATE INFORMATION I FIND ON THE
INTERNET?
Anyone,
anywhere, can publish anything on the Internet provided they
have access. This medium allows for the greatest level of published
information ever. This means that not all the information will
be accurate and/or current. When looking for information from
the Internet, learn to evaluate the information you find by
asking yourself these basic questions:
- Who
is the author?
Does the author have standing in the field? Are their sources
of information stated and verifiable? Can the author be
contacted for clarification?
- How
recent is the information? How frequently is the information
updated, or is it a static resource? Are dates of update
stated? Are all links to additional Web sites operational?
- Who
sponsors the page? Is it sponsored by a nonprofit organization,
the government, an educational institution, a business or
an individual? Is this a nonprofit or for-profit site? Depending
on the type of web site you are using, there may be biases
that you need to take into account.
On-line
Evaluation Guides
Evaluation
of Information Sources is part of the Virtual Library
Web site. This page contains pointers to sites that offer
criteria for evaluation.
Evaluating
Internet Resources is from Albany University and discusses
four main criteria for evaluating information found on the
Internet.
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HOW SECURE IS THE INFORMATION I SUBMIT TO A
WEB SITE?
Many Internet sites are set up to prevent unauthorized people
from seeing the information that is sent to, or from those
sites. Internet Explorer supports the protocols, or set of
rules and standards, used by these sites to secure the exchange
of information between computers privately and securely.
There are several indicators to look for in determining the
security of the Web site you are viewing: Look for them before
submitting any personal information to the site. When you
view a secure Web site, Internet Explorer will display a lock
icon 
on the status bar, located at the bottom of the browser screen.
The site itself will also automatically send a statement,
called a certificate, guaranteeing the security of the Web
site.
If you are about to send information (such as your credit
card number) to an unsecure site, a statement will come up
on the screen warning you of this. If a site claims to be
secure but its security is suspect, Internet Explorer can
also be set to warn you that the site may have been tampered
with or may be misrepresenting itself.
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WHAT IS E-MAIL AND HOW DO I GET IT?
E-mail stands
for electronic mail. Using e-mail, you can send messages to
anyone with an electronic mailing address. Your e-mail message
can include text as well as other files, such as images and
spreadsheets. Las Vegas-Clark County Library District does not
offer or support e-mail service directly, but our Internet connection
offers you a way to link to providers of free e-mail. Most of
them provide it for free because they are supported by advertisements
that appear on the site.
You can sign up for e-mail on your own, and the providers
will give you a user name and password. Be sure to carefully
read the user agreements. Also, be aware that e-mail addresses
are different from URLs or Internet addresses. E-mail addresses
have the @ sign in them: jdoe@host.com.
When selecting a free e-mail provider, a good site to check
out is the Free Email
Address Directory, a classified list of free e-mail services,
including comments on different providers. It also has articles
on topics such as beating spam, e-mail etiquette, and how
to choose the best service for your particular needs. Another
good site to check is
Free E-mail Address a source for reviews when choosing
a free web-based e-mail account.
Basic E-mail Tutorials On-line
Harness
E-mail: How It Works is a fun and easy tutorial on the
"Learn the Net" Web site.
To
and From of E-mail is a thorough tutorial on the basics
of e-mail written by Tim McClellan at the University of Alberta.
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WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE
WEB?
For more guidance in learning to use the World Wide Web,
Las Vegas-Clark County Library District libraries offer classes
on using the Internet. Please call your nearest library for
Information.
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